Pygmies, ravens and mummies – all in a day’s work at Scarborough Museums Trust!

From Congolese pygmies to pygmy antelopes, from ravens to rams, from mummies to mothers – they’re all in the Scarborough Collections.

And while it’s not possible to have all the thousands of items in the Collections on display at any one time, the public are welcome to visit and view them – and the easiest way to do that is by joining one of the regular and popular store tours, which resume at the end of March.

The tours will take place on the final Tuesday of each month, starting on Tuesday 26 March. Each tour takes around an hour, and participants are asked to meet at Scarborough Art Gallery at 2pm before heading next door to Woodend Creative Workspace, where the Collections are housed in modern storage facilities in the basement.

The first tour is a general one, led by Head of Collections Karen Snowden, but future tours will be themed, with themes announced as they are confirmed. The tour on Tuesday 30 April will be led by Visitor Services Assistant and keen ornithologist Jim Middleton, and will focus on the birds in the taxidermy collection.

Karen Snowden said: “The Scarborough Collections comprise thousands of objects, ranging from the everyday to the extraordinary. Some items are of very little historical importance; others are of international significance. But they’re all fascinating in their own way.

“Scarborough Museums Trust has two public venues – the Rotunda, the William Smith museum of geology; and Scarborough Art Gallery – and, as with many museums, it’s impossible to display all of our items at any given time. The tours are a great opportunity for people to see things they might otherwise not have chance to.”

The Scarborough Collections is the name given to all the museum objects acquired by the Borough of Scarborough over the years. They are all in the care of the charitable Scarborough Museums Trust.

Places on the tour cost £2 each, and are limited, so booking is essential. To book, or for further information, please call the Art Gallery on 01723 374753.